Storage crib



Gd 3%, W51 E. K. PENNENGTN 9 L7 STORAGE CRIB Filed. om. e, 1945 zsmms-samw 1 FIG. 1

INVENTOR. ESTHER K. PENNINGTON mmmays Get. 16, 5953 E. K. PENNINGTQN2,573,753

7 STORAGE CRIB Filed Oct. 6, 1945 I ZISHEE'I'S-PSI-IEET 2 2 19 0 FIG. 2

FEG. 5

ESQ

2? INVENTOR.

ESTHER K. PENNlNGTON Patented Oct. 16, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICESTORAGE CRIB :Esther K. Pennington, Oak Park, 111.

Application October 6, 1945, Serial No. 620,747

.1 Claim.

This invention relates to 'a storage unit and a' more particularly to astorage crib of the prefabricated portable type which may be readilyerected or disassembled and which is adapted to hold corn and othergrains and products for storage purposes.

Hereto'fore, numerous prefabricated, portable storage cribs have beendevised and utilized for the storage of corn and other grains andproducts which wereadapted to be assembled by the customer or knockeddown for removal to another location. However, because of their portablenature there prior cribs possessed various inherent weaknesses whichrendered their use unsatisfactory and their commercial sale relativelyunsuccessful. The principal deficiency of these prior cribs was theirgeneral tendency to buckle or bow out of shape or to even collapse whenunder load, i. e., when the crib was filled with a substantially fullcomplement of corn or other products. It was found that the relativelygreat outward pressure of 'the contents caused the main supporting poststo bow outwardly or become deformed which thereafter put such unduestress on other parts of the crib including the various bracing andsecuring means that total collapse sometimes resulted. The means foruniting and securing together the various elements of the framework werefound to be of insufficient structural strength under full load.

As a result, numerous attempts have been made to correct thedeficiencies of the early "portable cribs, but these attempts for onereason or another have been relatively unsuccessful. some of theseattempts comprised the provision of additional bracing or reinforcingmeans which not only tended to reduce the overall capacity of the cribbut also rendered the structure heavier, more expensive and morecomplicated and, therefore, more difiicult to erect or disassemble. Itwas even found that the additional bracing or reinforcing means failedto accomplish its intended purpose and that the structures under normaloperating'load still became bowed or deformed in some respect.

Other attempts comprised 'theuse of 'rnaterial of a much heavier stockor thickness which tended to increase the structural strength of thecrib and its ability to resist deformity or collapse under full load,but which at the same time resulted in a much heavier construction. Sucha heavy construction necessarily raised the manufacturing and shippingcosts of the crib and also had the disadvantage of making its assemblyor disassembly more difficult.

2 A great many of these prior cribs incorporated wire mesh retainingwalls with a structural steel framework and these also proved to havedeficiencies or other undesirable characteristics which rendered themimpractical. In somesuoh structures the wire mesh was formed in indiworkby'a plurality of fastening means, but in these instances also the fullload or thrustwas still placed upon the main supporting posts with thewire mesh lending little or he supporting effect thereto. The wire meshalso still tended to bow or stretch outwardly under load to aconsiderable degree between the posts causing an unsightly and'out-of-shape structure in which the stresses and strains were exerteddirectly against the supporting framework in such an abnormal andundesirable manner as to cause in time total collapse of the structure.

Another distinct disadvantage of the prior cribs which combined aframework and wire mesh retaining walls was the extreme difficulty andtediousness of the job of securing the mesh to the various upright andhorizontal elements of the framework at a multitude of places. Since thewire mesh was merely placed against the inner surface of the framework,it was necessary that the fastening means be manually engaged with themesh and the framework at each and every one of the appropriate placesin order to support the mesh in contents retaining position and in orderto prevent displacement of the mesh from its proper vertical positionand to prevent its pulling away from the framework when under load. Thismanual operation in securing the mesh was necessarily time-consuming andthe securing means were often-times ineffective, with the result thatsuch cribs left much to be desired.

It is, therefore, one of the objects of the present invention to providean improved storage crib of the prefabricated, portable type that may bereadily erected or knocked down, and which is strong, durable andcapable of holding a full load of corn and other grains or productswithout distortion or collapse.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedstorage crib of the foregoing character comprising a structuralframework and a wire mesh which are so constructed and arranged thatthey are mutually supporting and adapted to resist distortion andcollapse under load.

Still another object is to provide an improved storage crip comprising astructural framework and a flexible retainin sheet encompassing andtightly engaging the outer surfaces of said framework under constrictingtension. said flexible sheet exertin an inwardly directed pressure andtending to force said framework inwardly so as to assist said frameworkin successfully resisting the outward pressure of the contents withinsaid crib.

A further obiect of the invention is to provide an improved stora e cribcomprising a structural framework and a flexible sheet encompassing andtightly enga ing the outer surfaces of said framework, the flexiblesheet bein of les er length than the outer peripheral extent of saidframework and having its ends Spaced apart in its initial unconstrictedcondition. and means for drawing the ends of said sheet toward eachother so as to cause the sheet to tightly en age the outer surfaces ofsaid framework with a constricting tension.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved storae crib that is of such construction that distortion or collapse thereofeither in an inward or outward direction when under full load, issuccessfully prevented.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent as this description progresses, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a storage crib comprising myinvention with portions of the upper and lower lengths of wire meshbroken away;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the lower length of wire mesh inextended condition before application to the structural framework of thecrib and with the central portion thereof broken away;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the upper length of wire mesh also inextended condition before application to the structural framework andalso with the central portion thereof broken away;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the length of wire mesh shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view showing the doorway to the cribformed by the end portions of the lower length of wire mesh and the boltand nut means for drawing the wire mesh tightly about the frameworkunder a constricting ten sion;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the structure of Fig. 5, looking in thedirection of the arrows; and

Fig. '7 is a top plan view of approximately onehalf of the crib, showingin broken lines the position of the wire mesh when under constrictingtension but not under full load and its position when under full load insolid lines.

The improved storage crib comprising my invention and illustrated by apreferred embodiment thereof in Figs. 1 to 7 of the accompanyingdrawings, is of the prefabricated, portable type which may be deliveredto a farmer, for instance, in knocked down condition and assembled byhim with little assistance and with a minimum of effort for the storageof corn or other products.

The crib may be erected on a prepared foundation of floor (not shown)composed of concrete or wood or may, with efiicient and satisfactoryresults, be supported directly on a level space of ground that issufficiently high for proper drainage. However, for the purposes of thepresent invention, the type of foundation is more or less immaterialsince the crib functions in substantially the same manner and with thesame results on all the various types.

The storage crib shown more particularly in Fig. 1 of the drawings,comprises generally a ten sided structural framework or enclosure aboutwhich are tightly drawn under a constricting tension lengths of flexiblesheeting, such as wire mesh. The structural framework is comprised of aplurality of main vertical posts, ten in number, which are in the formof angle irons ID of a strong, light weight steel. These main post ironsI0 are each positioned so that one of their respective faces or englesis substantially flush or parallel with the outer periphery of the criband the other of their respective angles extends inwardly in asubstantially radial direction. Secured to the peripheral faces of eachof the main post irons I0 at the upper, central and lower portionsthereof by means of nut and bolt connections, are three horizontallyextending bent tie plates II, which in turn are bolted at each of theirprojecting ends to the outer faces of horizontally extending angle ironsI2. Thus, between each of the main vertical post irons I0 there arethree spaced horizontal irons I2 of strong light weight steel whichserve to maintain the posts III in proper spaced relationship and invertical position. These horizontal irons I2 have the further efiect ofdividing the crib into upper and lower sections and into twentyindividual panels as viewed from the exterior.

To further brace the main posts I0 and to maintain them in propervertical and spaced position, there are provided a plurality of'flatdiagonal struts or brace irons I3 also of strong light weight steel.These struts I3 are bolted to and extend diagonally between adjacentposts in in each panel except the doorway, one end of each strut beingbolted to the outer face of one main post I0 and its other end beingbolted to the inner face of an adjacent post Iii. For more effectivebracing and added strength, the bracing struts I3 in the various panelsof the crib extend in diagonal directions opposite to the directions ofthose struts I3 that are in adjacent panels either above or below or tothe sides thereof.

As shown particularly in Figs. 1 and '7 of the drawings, the structuralframework also includes a plurality of flat tie plates I4 which arebolted to the horizontal faces of the adjacent ends of the upperhorizontal angle irons I2 at the top of the structure. These fiat tieplates I4, therefore, extend across each one of the ten corners overeach of the main vertical posts I0 and serve to maintain the horizontalangle irons I2 and the sides of the structure in the proper angularrelationship by preventing hinging movement of those parts, eitherinwardly or outwardly, about the main posts I0. In an identical mannerand for the same purposes, a plurality of flat tie plates I5 ofidentical construction to the tie plates l4, are bolted to the bottomhorizontal faces of the adjacent ends of the lower horizonta1 angleirons I2 at the bottom of the structure.

After the above numbered structural elements I0 to I4, inclusive, havebeen assembled in the relationship above described, the two lengths ofwire. mesh may be placed one above the. other and drawn tightly aroundthe outside of the framework so as to form retaining walls for holdingthe contents within the crib. The sheet of wire mesh 16 whichencompasses the exterior of the lower half section of the cribv is shownin extended position before assembly in Figs. 2 and 4' of the drawings,and the wire mesh sheet I! which encompasses the upper half section ofthe crib. is. shown in Fig. 3. The mesh sheets l5 and I! are provided ateach of their extreme ends with a pair. of reinforcing, elongated angleirons 16a and ifib and Ila and Ill) respectively. These end irons [Baand I51): and [la and lib, as shown in Figs..1 and, 4-, are bolted toether by a. plurality of: bolts l9 and 2.0, respectively, into the formof a T with the respective ends of the lengths of wire mesh beingclamped between the substantially parallel faces of the adjacent endirons by the bolts i9 and 2!! respectively.

The wire mesh sheets i6 and H. are each of lesser length than the outerperipheral extentof the structural framework so. that when the sheets i6and I? are initially placed about the framework and, before they aredrawn tightly therearound, their respective ends are spaced apart aconsiderable distance. As shown clearly in Figs. 1, to 4, inclusive, thewire mesh sheet i6 which encom- Passes the lower section of the crib. isof lesser length than the wire mesh, sheet H. for the upper section, inorder that the ends [6a and I 61) of the.- sheet [5' Willbe spacedfarther apart to. pro- -v-ide'suflicient space for a doorway 2|permitting access to-the interior of the crib.

each other with. th upper portion of the T formed by these ironsextending in a substantially radial direction at right angles, to theplane of the mesh sheet l5. As shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 6,. in order todraw the mesh sheet l6 tightly about the lower exterior of the cribunder a constricting tension, there are provided four elongated rods. orbolts '22' having threaded ends and, which extend between and throughthe radially directed portions of the end irons Ifia and ltb, two ofthese rods 22 extending between the lower ends of the end irons and tworods 22 extending between the upper ends thereof. A plurality of nuts 23are applied to the threaded ends of the rods 22 so as to engage the endirons I50. and [6b and further rotation of these nuts 23 on the rods 22will draw the ends Mia and ltb of the wire mesh [6 closer together untilthe wire mesh It is stretched or drawn tightly about the exterior of theframework so as to exert a constricting tension or an inwardly directedpressure thereagainst.

In substantially the same manner and by similar means comprisingthreaded rods 24 and bolts 25, the upper section of wire mesh Il may bedrawn tightly about the exterior of the upper half of the framework soas to also exert an inwardly directed pressure thereagainst. The rods 24are shorter than the rods 22 of the lower mesh section and extendbetween and through the radially directed portions of the end irons 11aand I'll) of the upper mesh sheet I! at their upper and lower ends andat their central portions.

In order to. further provide for a somewhat more equalized, applicationof the constricting forces against the outer surfaces of the st IHQtural framework, the ends of one of the Wire mesh sheets may becircumferentially spaced from the ends of the other mesh sheet and asshown in Fig. 1, the. ends Ilia and [6b, of the mesh sheet it arediametrically Opposite to the ends lid and lib. of the mesh sheet I1.

When the end angle irons Hid and It!) of the lower mesh sheet l6 havebeen draw sufficiently tight toward each other, they define the verticalside elements of a doorway 2| in their spaced relationship. The door 2|itself comprises a pair of vertically disposed sideboards 2'! and 28bolted respectively to the end faces of the end angle irons 16a and [6b,and into these side boards 2'! and 28 are cut a plurality of inwardlyand downwardly directed parallel slots 21a and 28d. These parallel slots21a and 28a are adapted to slidably receive a plurality of closureboards 29 which are inclined downwardly and, therefore, maintain thecontents within the crib, but one or more of which may be readilywithdrawn when access to the interior of the crib or its contents isdesired.

It is to be noted that there has not. been pro.- vided any additional orseparate means for securing the wire mesh sheets l6 and H at a multitudeof places to the main posts H] or to the horizontal irons It or to thediagonal struts l3. The necessity of such fastening means has beenentirel eliminated since. the mesh sheets l6 and I! are so tightlyconstricted against the outer surfaces of the structural framework thatthey are self-supporting againstv vertical movement and are capable ofsuccessfully resisting the outwardly directed pressures of the contentsof the crib when fully loaded. While the outwardly directed pressures ofa full load have a tendency to force the wire mesh out of engagementwith the outer surfaces of main posts ill, it has been found that whenthe mesh sheets I6 and ii are drawn tightly about the framework, thosesheets remain in engagement with the posts ill at all times.

Because the need for such individual mesh securing means has beeneliminated, the shipping weight and the time and expense of erectionhave-been reduced to a minimum.

As shown by the broken lines in Figs. 1 and '7, the mesh sheets i6 andii when drawn tightly around the structural framework but before thecontents are placed in the crib, assume flat .planes between the mainposts ill, thereby forming a crib that is substantially decagonal inshape with ten substantially flat vertical walls. However, after a cribcomprising my invention has been filled to capacity and is, therefore,under full load, the mesh sheets l6 and I! may assume the slightlyrounded out positions illustrated by the solid lines in Figs. 1 and 7.But at no time are these mesh sheets it and if ever forced out ofengagement with the main posts 10. Under normal full load and even underhigh test loads, the sheets l6 and I! always remain in engagement withthe main posts I0 so as to support those posts against the outwardthrust of the contents.

Because the flexible mesh sheets l6 and I1 encompass and tightly engagethe outer surfaces of the structural framework under a constrictingtension, the mesh sheets is and i1 and the main posts l0 and the otherbracing members are mutually supporting and are capable of resistingdistortion or collapse under extremely heavy loads. According to thepresent invention the mesh sheets 16 and H are drawn tightly about theposts so as to develop an inwardly directed, constricting pressurethereagainst which pressure is substantially equal to or capable ofofi'setting the outward thrust of the contents. Thus when the crib iscompletely filled, the inward and outward pressures against the mainposts H] are in substantial equilibrium. Even if the outward thrust ofthe contents should become greater than the initial inward thrust of themesh sheets, no bowing or leaning movement of the posts l0 will occurbecause of the relatively high tensile strength of the Wire mesh sheetsl6 and H, which have been tightly pre-stretched about the framework, andalso because of the inherent strength of the braced structural frameworkitself. Because any bowing or distortion of the posts ID is successfullyprevented, all distortion of the other bracing elements of thestructural framework is also successfully prevented.

In many instances, in other types of cribs, where a slight bowing orleaning outwardly of the main posts occurred under load, the innersurfaces of the posts assumed a sloping .positio'n instead of beingvertical and against which only a side thrust could be exerted by thecontents, and hence they were required to support a portion of thevertical load of the contents as well as the sideward thrust. Thus, oncea bow or lean in the posts was set up, they were less able than ever toresist further distortion and the pressures thereagainst cumulated asthe lean became more pronounced until collapse of the crib finallyensued.

However, because of the structural arrangement of the present inventionwith the mesh sheets exerting a constricting pressure against theframework of the crib before the posts are under load, any outward leanor bowing of the posts is prevented so that the disastrous cumulativeefiect is never set up. At the same time with the increased structuralstrength of the crib, the various elements thereof may be composed of alighter weight metal stock than would ordinarily be used, which has theeffect of reducing manufacturing and shipping costs and increasing theease of handling during erection. The elimination of the great pluralityof individual means of fastening the mesh to the frame- Work also servesto greatly reduce the expense and timerequired for erection.

Although there has been shown in the drawings and described above, onepreferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent thatvariations and modifications thereof may be made without departing fromthe underlying principles of the invention. For instance, the generaland detailed arrangements of the component parts of the structuralframework may be varied in innumerable ways. The number of sides of thecrib may be more or less than the ten shown in the preferred embodimentand the number of sections arranged vertically may be increased to threeor more with similar results.

I claim:

In a portable storage crib, a knock-down detachable framework adapted tohave a sheet of flexible material fastened therearound, said frameworkcomprising a plurality of spaced vertical members, a plurality ofstraight angle irons disposed transversely between each of said verticalmembers at both ends of the latter, said angle irons extending angularlyfrom each other and having their horizontal faces extending inwardly toform upper and lower horizontal polygonal edges, strap means connectingthe vertical faces of said irons at each end thereof to said verticalmembers, and a plurality of chordal tie plates disposed in a horizontalplane at the top and bottom of the framework, each of said tie plateshaving its innermost horizontal face extending across and parallel to anend edge of one of said vertical members and each of said tie platesbeing secured at its ends to the adjacent horizontal faces of said angleirons in chordal relation with the latter and at points spaced from saidvertical members whereby to prevent hinging movement of said angle ironsabout said vertical members.

ESTHER K. PEN'N'JNG'I'ON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 679,583 Woodruff July 30, 19011,230,585 Lister June 19, 1917 1,699,162 Santos Jan. 15, 1929 1,732,400Eaton Oct. 22, 1929 2,052,934 Mire Sept. 1, 1936 2,183,991 Hasman Dec.19, 1939 2,351,419 Fuller June 13, 1944 2,438,604 Gogerty Mar. 30, 1948FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 438,005 Germany 1926

